It seems many of the blogs to which I’ve subscribed are focused on meditation in its many forms. Usually inspired or reflective of nature, they invite one to slow down, to think less and feel more, or to invite silence into one’s life. Others are about discovery: the feel of fresh dough in one’s hands, the smell of newly dug earth, the full moon or the bits of fog lingering over the ground.

I rarely find myself in a state of calmness that in any way resembles meditation. I am constantly hearing sounds around me, looking at “stuff” but not seeing the actual details or hearing the meaning behind the noise. Yet this doesn’t evoke any sense that I’m overwhelmed or suffering sensory overload – more as if I have forgotten how to be “aware.”

Tonight when I got out of the car, I looked up. Immediately I recognized Orion’s belt, and looked around for other familiar constellations. But my arms were full of heavy bags, and quickly the glance at the sky was forgotten and I was inside the door and heading for the kitchen.

I wish now I’d gotten back in the car and driven to some country field where I could just look at the sky and find Cassiopeia, the Big Dipper, the Pleiades...

But instead, I visit my blogging “friends” and envy their ability to transform the skills and gifts of observation into delicate yet forceful words.

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